RNC spends just $20 in radio ad buy against Shaheen (but gets lots of coverage)

Key to observing politics is drilling down at any given moment what is perception and what is reality.

A case in point came Tuesday when the Republican National Committee began buying radio ads in 12 states against Democratic incumbents up for re-election this year, including here in New Hampshire against U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

The perception: This was a big effort for Republicans to tie problems with the Affordable Care Act to vulnerable Democrats.

The reality: In New Hampshire, at least, the RNC spent $20 behind the effort. Yes, you read that correctly, $20 -- no missing zeroes or commas.

POLITICO got the scoop in the morning where it noted it was the first paid ads by the RNC in the 2014 cycle, but also said it didn't know the size of the buy.

A media buyer for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee found that the full buy was just $3,100 for 36 states.

It might have all been a clever move to get free media coverage. Hours after a conference call announcing the ad buy, there was coverage in at least 90 different places, according to Google News.

"We never discussed the size of the buy because that’s not the point," said RNC spokesman Ryan Mahoney. "The goal was to set tone for the year by coming out of the gates on Obamacare, highlighting how key Democrats mislead us on serious issues like being able to keep your health plan or your doctor. It’s a signal to candidates, voters, and reporters that we believe this is a winning strategy. The fact Democrats spent a day trying to figure out the size of an ad buy rather than refuting the claims in the ad proves we’re on to something."